Where Did My Bras Go?
by DancingTribble
Summary: Elizabeth is out drying her clothes and all of a sudden someone runs off with her bras. She goes after them and runs into her next door neighbour. [A quick scene between Hungary and Romania.]


Elizabeth scrolled through her phone and absent mindedly swiped her free hand around for the clothes basket. After moment, she stopped, considered the post and glanced down where she was reaching. She frowned at herself and shoved the phone into her pocket. Her face twisted tighter as she dug around in the hamper for a certain article of clothing.

"For the love of Lugosi," She muttered irritably, "where the hell did it go?"

A cool breeze ran through the yard, the clothes on the line billowing out for her as she stood with her hands on hips. She wore a plain tank top and summer shorts that held her comfortably. Her hair was pulled back loosely for laundry duty that was a decent change in pace from her current indoor work.

She quickly pinned the rest to the line and gathered the basket to head back in. Before she entered the house, a loud laughter filled the air along with a child's. Concerned that one of the children she babysat wandered off again, she peered over the fence into her neighbour's yard and gasped in embarrassment.

Her neighbour was a man roughly her age with a son of his own that would sometimes play with her kids. He was soft spoken most of the time but had a strange voice that was also authoritative. She never spent time with him, only seeing him when she'd go chasing after a child. He'd always been friendly and helpful and the kids seemed to like him well enough. Often the pipsqueaks would nonchalantly comment on how beautiful they were and should be friends.

Today wasn't going to be the day she'd become best friends with him. Little Feliciano and her neighbour's son chased each other around the yard with sticks as swords on hand shouting nonsense. Her neighbour, making sense of their babble laughed with them and brushed a strand of blond hair out of his face. The reason he was laughing was the fact each boy wore one of her bras strapped to their head as a helmet.

"Feli get back here!" She hollered and launched herself over the fence to expertly snatch up the child.

Her neighbour stood startled and jogged across the lawn for his son, "Hey lady calm down they're were just playing."

She frowned at his accent, the T's coming out as Z's and his words sounding slow in general. Elizabeth pulled her bra off the child's head and extended her hand to him for the other one. Her neighbour picked up his son and placed him on his hip to get it off.

"So," He tried as he struggled with it, "You wear lacy?"

Her eyes narrowed further and smoothly slid it over his head, "Obviously you're outta practice at this sorta thing."

He smiled widely and showed his teeth, one of his incisors chipped fairly bad, "I guess so."

Elizabeth stared at him for a beat, he wasn't ugly that's for sure. She shook her head and thanked him as she headed back for the fence.

"Hold up," He called out after her, "I'm sorry about what happened, I'll make sure Nicolae stays out of your yard next time."

"You say that now," She tossed over her shoulder while perched on top of the fence by this point and about to drop down on the other side with Feli under her arm, "But you've said it before and he still ends up on my couch watching TV anyway."

"Is that a bad thing really?" He asked genuinely, looking up at her wide-eyed that shone in the mid noon sun, "I mean I'm not always here to take care of him and he needs to interact with people his own age."

She caught her breath at the sight of him, "Get a babysitter."

He smiled again, "Are you available?"

"I'm booked as is."

His smile saddened and she found herself desperately wishing for it back, "I mean if you can afford it then maybe."

"But isn't being a wonderful neighbor payment enough?"

"Not when you play that god-awful music at three in the morning."

He laughed and scratched the inside of his ear, looking away as if he didn't have the courage for an answer, "Heh, yeah."

"What."

"Nothing, you want me to come over later to sign whatever paperwork you need done?"

Elizabeth slipped down back to his side and landed practically nose to nose with him, "Tell me."

His eyes quivered as she stared assertively into him, nothing more he wished than was to run away from this elegant woman. He'd never really spent this much time talking to her than she allowed and now he wasn't sure he could trust himself with words. He suddenly noticed how the sun danced around the edges of her hair and without thinking, he reached out to touch it.

She slapped his hand away in one solid motion and furrowed her brow, "Tell me or forget it."

He took a small step back and looked down at his son sheepishly, "Sometimes when Nicolae can't sleep I sing to him."

A grin crept across her face at the notion, "That's you?"

"Yeah pretty dumb I know," He laughed out loud and rubbed the back of his neck, "It helps tho."

"I get it," She nodded softly and looked at her own child, Feli fast asleep draped in her arm.

"If only it was that easy," Her neighbour whispered and hoisted his bright-eyed son up higher, "Why don't you ever sleep child?!"

Elizabeth smiled lightly and watched the boy look at his father while chewing on his fingers and laugh. She almost regretted not having her own instead of just watching other peoples until she remembered she left half a dozen kids unattended in that big house.

"Hey, I gotta go," She told him and swiftly pulled herself back up the fence, he grabbed her hand as she swung her legs over. He looked up at her with a strange sense of regret she was leaving and a pleading she wouldn't go. She glanced over her shoulder and smiled at him before vanishing to the other side, "Be here in an hour."


End file.
